Update on the latest sports – UPDATED
APOLYMPICS
Track records fall fast in Tokyo
TOKYO (AP) — The American “A-Team” has advanced to the gold medal match of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament. April Ross and Alix Klineman beat Switzerland at Shiokaze Park to clinch at least a silver medal.
It will be the third medal for Ross, who won silver in London and bronze in Rio de Janeiro. Klineman is a first-time Olympian.
Also in Tokyo:
— Germany’s Florian Wellbrock has added a gold medal in marathon swimming to his bronze medal at the pool, romping to a dominating win in the men’s 10-kilometer race at Tokyo Bay. Wellbrock raced out to an early lead and was up front most of the way on another sweltering morning. At the end, the 23-year-old blew the field away to win by a staggering 25.3 seconds. Two swimmers failed to finish in the sweltering conditions. France’s David Aubry was carried away on a stretcher.
— BMX rider Connor Fields was released from St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo on Thursday. That’s five days after a horrific crash in his semifinal race at the Tokyo Olympics left him with a brain bleed and other injuries. He will be able to return to his home in Henderson, Nevada, in the coming days to begin his rehabilitation.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Rays beat Mariners 4-3 to avoid season series sweep
UNDATED (AP) — Randy Arozarena (ah-roh-zah-RAY’-nuh) had a two-run triple during a three-run third and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 to avoid a season series sweep. The Rays went 1-6 overall against Seattle and lost the first two games of the three-game set.
Josh Fleming allowed two runs and five hits, and Mike Zunino hit his 21st homer for the Rays. Mariners rookie Logan Gilbert gave up three runs and four hits over five innings. Seattle had won 11 consecutive games, dating to May 25, when Gilbert started. The right-hander was 5-0 during the stretch.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— The Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to four games with a 9-5 win over the Washington Nationals. Philadelphia is 55-53 and two games over .500 for the first time since July 18, when it was 47-45. The Phillies entered the contest 1 ½ games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets. Rhys Hoskins also homered and drove in three runs, Didi Gregorius hit a two-run homer and the Phillies turned an early 3-0 deficit into an easy win. Luis García homered twice for the Nationals. Philadelphia goes for a four-game sweep Thursday.
— Matt Olson hit a two-run, walk-off double in the 10th inning and the Oakland Athletics rallied past the San Diego Padres 5-4. The A’s scored twice in the ninth with two outs off closer Mark Melancon to tie it at 3. After San Diego scored a run in the top of the 10th off Lou Trivino to take a 4-3 lead, Olson came to the plate with runners on the corners and no outs. Olson laced the first pitch he saw from Tim Hill off the right field wall, scoring Mark Canha and Starling Marte, and sending the Oakland Coliseum into a frenzy. The A’s posted their AL-leading ninth walk-off win of the season.
— Pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez launched a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning to put the Milwaukee Brewers ahead for good in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Devin Williams worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to earn his first career save. Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds went 2 of 2, walked twice and scored both of the Pirates’ runs. The Brewers won two of three from the Pirates and remained 7 1/2 games ahead of Cincinnati in the NL Central.
— Luis Castillo pitched six effective innings, Tyler Stephenson homered to give the Reds a cushion they ended up needing, and Cincinnati held on to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5. Jonathan India had three hits and Joey Votto drove in two runs for the Reds, who came in trailing first-place Milwaukee by 7 1/2 games in the NL Central. Castillo allowed Jorge Polanco’s first-inning solo homer but settled in nicely from there. Stephenson went deep in the seventh to give the Reds a 6-1 lead. The Twins rallied with four runs in the eighth before Michael Lorenzen came in for a five-out save.
MLB-NEWS
Brewers’ Axford out for year after 1 game; Lauer on COVID list
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching staff has taken a couple more hits with John Axford now out for the season with elbow trouble and Eric Lauer joining the COVID-19 injured list.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Axford has significant elbow damage and is going over his options after an injury foiled the 38-year-old’s comeback attempt.
Elsewhere around the majors:
— Four-time All-Star Cole Hamels has signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers through the end of the season, adding more depth to a pitching staff that has been racked with injuries. Hamels held a tryout for teams last month. The left-hander will report to the Dodgers’ spring training complex in Arizona to get further stretched out before joining the big league club. Hamels will be going into his 16th season. He has a career record of 163-122 with a 3.43 ERA and 2,560 strikeouts in 423 games.
— Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon will have season-ending hip surgery, finishing off an injury-plagued second season in Southern California. Rendon had been on the injured list since July 6 with a left hamstring strain. The 31-year-old also missed time with knee and groin injuries. Rendon was limited to 58 games and will finish with a career-low .240 batting average. The high-priced Rendon joins three-time AL MVP Mike Trout on the 60-day IL.
NBA-NEWS
MLB season starts March 31, again with every team scheduled
UNDATED (AP) — Major League Baseball will open the 2022 season on March 31 and will try for the fourth time to have every team play its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968. The league released the full schedule on Wednesday.
MLB tried to have all 30 clubs play on the same opening day for three of the past four seasons, but it never happened because of weather and other factors. Complicating matters next year is a potential work stoppage.
The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players’ association expires Dec. 1. Given the acrimonious relationship between the sides, a lockout or strike appears possible.
In other NBA news:
— A person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press that power forward John Collins has agreed to a $125 million, five-year deal to remain with the Atlanta Hawks. The deal includes a fifth-year option for Collins, who was a restricted free agent. The agreement comes one day after point guard Trae Young agreed to a five-year, $207 million rookie extension. Collins averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds this season.
— A person with knowledge of the situation says Kemba Walker and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a buyout of the final two years of his contract. Once that’s completed, the four-time All-Star guard will sign with the New York Knicks. Walker is owed nearly $74 million for the next two seasons, including a $37.6 million option that he held for 2022-23. Walker was born in the Bronx. He never played for the Thunder.
— The Philadelphia 76ers have signed nine-year veteran center Andre Drummond. Drummond joins Philadelphia after splitting the 2020-21 season with Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-foot-10, 279-pound Drummond will wear No. 1 for the Sixers. He was one of just three NBA players, including new teammate Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’), to average a point-rebound double-double as well as one steal and one block. — The Washington Wizards have agreed to a $62 million, three-year deal with guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie is heading to the Wizards in a sign-and-trade. The 6-foot-5 Dinwiddie joins a backcourt that’s being vacated by Russell Westbrook after Washington agreed to deal Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers.
— The Utah Jazz have agreed to acquire power forward Eric Paschall from the Warriors, sending a protected future second-round draft pick to Golden State in the swap. The Warriors will get a second-round draft pick via Memphis for 2026. Paschall posted a farewell on Twitter.
— The New Orleans Pelicans say veteran former NBA coach Mike D’Antoni is joining the club as a coaching adviser and Jarron Collins has been hired as an assistant coach. The moves come on the heels of the Pelicans’ decision to hire Willie Green as their third head coach in three seasons. D’Antoni was an assistant with Brooklyn last season and has compiled a 672-527 record as a head coach.
NFL-NEWS
Jets sign QB Josh Johnson to give them experienced backup
UNDATED (AP) — The New York Jets have signed well-traveled veteran quarterback Josh Johnson, giving them an experienced backup behind rookie Zach Wilson. Undrafted free agent linebacker Brendon White from Rutgers was waived to make room for Johnson. The 35-year-old Johnson fills a void in the Jets’ quarterbacks room, which had just Wilson, Mike White and James Morgan. None of that trio has taken a regular-season snap in an NFL game.
The Jets are Johnson’s 14th NFL team. He was most recently with San Francisco last year where current Jets coach Robert Saleh was the defensive coordinator.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— Jadeveon Clowney is making a strong impression in his first training camp with the Cleveland Browns. The former No. 1 overall pick, whose career has been slowed by injuries, is healthy and happy with his fourth team in four years. The Browns signed him to a one-year, $8 million free agent deal in April.
— The Chicago Bears have signed veteran linebacker Alec Ogletree to a one-year contract. Ogletree was signed to the Jets’ practice squad in Week 1 last season, then got released after recording three tackles in two games.
— Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz dismissed speculation of the Buffalo Bills relocating if a deal can’t be negotiated for public funds to pay for the construction of a new stadium. However he did issue a warning saying the state and county won’t be writing what he called “a blank check,” to pay for what is projected to cost at least a $1 billion.
— The Las Vegas Raiders have signed free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. McCoy adds pass rushing depth to the Raiders interior defensive line after sitting out all of last season with a torn quadriceps. McCoy spent his first nine seasons with the Buccaneers before playing for Carolina in 2019 and signing with Dallas last season.
NHL-NEWS
Sharks sign goalie Adin Hill to 2-year deal
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The San Jose Sharks have signed goalie Adin Hill to a two-year contract that avoids salary arbitration. The Sharks acquired Hill last month in a trade from Arizona and are counting on him to team with James Reimer as their goaltending duo next season. The 25-year-old Hill appeared in 19 games last season for Arizona, going 9-9-1 record with a .913 save percentage, 2.74 goals against average and two shutouts.
TENNIS-WASHINGTON
Nadal returns to tour with 3-set win over Sock in Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rafael Nadal has won his first match back after being off the tour for nearly two months. Nadal edged Jack Sock 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (1) at the Citi Open hard-court tournament in Washington on Wednesday night. Nadal is seeded No. 1 as he makes his debut at the U.S. Open tuneup.
The 35-year-old Spaniard had not played since losing to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals. Nadal sat out Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. He said he had been dealing with a foot injury.
Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer share the men’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL-NEWS
AAC’s Aresco: Did not plot with ESPN to poach other leagues
UNDATED (AP) — American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says his league has never “plotted” with ESPN to undermine another conference by poaching its schools and says the league is not actively looking to add schools.
Last week the Big 12 accused ESPN of encouraging at least one other conference to raid that conference as it tries find a way forward with Texas and Oklahoma on their way to the Southeastern Conference. The AAC was reported to be the conference ESPN was incentivizing to woo Big 12 teams. Aresco denied that.
In other college football news:
— Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor has been added to the College Football Playoff selection committee, replacing Texas AD Chris Del Conte. The CFP’s announcement comes less than a week after Texas and Oklahoma announced they would be leaving the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025.
PENN STATE-ABUSE
Penn State ex-president Spanier leaves jail after 2 months
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — The former president of Penn State is out of jail after serving nearly two months for endangering the welfare of children by his response to a report that Jerry Sandusky had been seen physically abusing a boy on campus.
Centre County Correctional Facility Warden Christopher Schell said Wednesday the 73-year-old Graham Spanier served 58 days. Spanier still faces two months of electronic monitoring at home and two years of probation.
NASCAR-MASKS
NASCAR to require masks in enclosed areas going forward
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Beginning this weekend at Watkins Glen International, NASCAR will require all personnel to wear a face mask in enclosed areas at all times, regardless of vaccination status. Enclosed areas include haulers and buildings, including media centers, restrooms, the infield care center, race control and suites.
